It’s been five years since Dewey & LeBoeuf, fatally weakened by financial mismanagement and an accelerating partner exodus, spiraled into bankruptcy. And the saga of the firm’s fall continues to unfold: At press time the jury was still out in the second criminal trial of former chief financial officer Joel Sanders and former executive director Stephen DiCarmine. But what about the lawyers who didn’t wind up in the headlines—but who still had their lives disrupted, as they scrambled to find new jobs and coped with the loss of what in some cases had been their professional home for decades?
Five former Dewey lawyers offer reflections on the firm’s demise, and what they learned from the experience.
